Mark Stoops not considering in-season coaching staff changes

A season that started with four straight wins and a top-ten ranking has turned into a disaster. Today’s 24-21 loss to Vanderbilt is arguably the worst of the Mark Stoops era, especially when you consider how high hopes were to start the year. Kentucky has a projected top-ten NFL Draft pick in Will Levis, an All-SEC running back in Chris Rodriguez, and dynamic playmakers in Dane Key, Barion Brown, and Tayvion Robinson, but the offense has failed to get off the ground. A lot of that is due to a porous offensive line, but after a humiliating defeat, offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello’s seat is hot.

For what it’s worth, Mark Stoops told reporters in his postgame press conference that he is not currently considering any offensive coaching changes. On his postgame radio show with Tom Leach, Stoops clarified, saying he wants time to reflect before making any moves.

“They said in season,” Stoops said of the reporter’s question. “They said like, right now. That’s not what I’m going to do, no, no. I don’t want to say anything right now because people take it and run with it. If I say maybe, they’ll say I am.”

“I don’t know. It’s emotional. It’s hard right now. I need to calm down, take a good look. I don’t want to say yes or no and people take it and run with it. It’s not time to blame.”

“It’s not just Will”

It was another rough day for Will Levis. Kentucky’s quarterback told the SEC Network he is operating at 80-85% health as he deals with turf toe and a nagging shoulder injury. Today, Levis was 11-23 for 109 yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception. He was sacked four times for 23 yards.

“Again, it’s not just Will,” Stoops said of the offense’s struggles. “I mean, you know, it’s hard for me to say that right now until I look at the film and see what we’re doing around and what kind of position we’re putting him in to be successful, how players are playing around him. I’m sure he’s frustrated. You know, he’s a great player. We’re not playing very well and we’re not supporting him at times. And there are times when he’s not perfect as well. None of us are immune to this and in he’s a big boy. He’ll respond. He’ll bounce back.”

“I’m not getting it done with this team”

It’s hard to believe that just over a month ago, Kentucky was a top-ten team. Whether or not that ranking was deserved is questionable, but one thing is for certain: the Cats have regressed as the season has gone on. Stoops said the buck stops with him.

“Disappointed. Disappointed with the way things have gone. I think everybody is. Each year, each team, you have to go earn it. You have to go prove it. I know that. We talk about that all the time. There’s a fine line there. For whatever reason, I’m not getting it done with this team and getting them in position to be successful.”

“It’s a challenging time and there are things that everyone can do better. I’m sure the team is very hurt and embarrassed with the way they played. We all are. We need to — there’s only one way out. There’s no way to point fingers or anything like that. We know there are issues that need to be addressed. That will happen at the appropriate time.”